Legal filings say Florida gunman had treatment for mental illness

A law officer works at the scene of Sunday’s shooting in the GLHF Game Bar in Jacksonville, Fla. Three people, including the gunman, were killed.

Photo: Joe Raedle / Getty Images

BALTIMORE — The suspect in a deadly shooting at a Florida video gaming tournament had previously been hospitalized for mental illness, according to court records in his home state of Maryland.

Divorce filings from the parents of 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore say that as a teenager he was twice hospitalized in psychiatric facilities and that he was prescribed antipsychotic and antidepressant medications.

The records show Katz’s parents disagreed on how to care for their troubled son, with his father claiming his estranged wife was exaggerating symptoms of mental illness as part of their long-running and acrimonious custody battle. The couple divorced in 2007.

He was known to barely speak to fellow gamers and sometimes exhibited an erratic playing style, according to other competitors, who were baffled that their virtual sport could lead to bloodshed.

“We’ve always known he was a little off and stuff just because he wasn’t social at all,” gamer Shay Kivlen, 21, of Seattle, said Monday. “It just doesn’t make sense why he would do it.”

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams has declined to comment on why Katz opened fire inside a gaming bar connected to a pizzeria at The Jacksonville Landing, a collection of restaurants and shops along the St. Johns River. Williams said he used at least one handgun in the attack.

Such tournaments can involve high stakes. The Jacksonville tournament had $5,000 in prize money to divide among the top finalists. Kivlen said some gamers rely on that money to make ends meet.

But Kivlen and other competitors insist most players take losses in stride and, even with cash on the line, still view it as being just a game.

“No one deserves to die over playing a videogame, you know?” said Derek Jones, 30, who traveled from Santa Fe, N.M., to compete in Jacksonville. “We’re just out here trying to win some money for our families and stuff.”

The game’s maker, EA Sports, lists a David Katz as a 2017 championship winner.